The Catalyst
by twilight guardian
Summary: Team Rocket finally gets their hands on Pikachu and escape! But when their balloon crashes and they are looked after by a Breeder their attitudes change. Maybe, just maybe they can find themselves a more prosperous life.
1. The Crash

**My first Pokemon fanfic. I hope you enjoy!**

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The Catalyst

Chapter 1: The Crash

"PIKACHU!" The desperate screams of a young trainer called, as he ran after the large cat-like balloon in which his Pokémon was trapped.

"Pika pi!" The Pikachu screamed, his tiny paws on the glass in which it was trapped inside, struggling to get a glimpse of his trainer. He could see both his human and Pokémon friends slowing down. One by one, they stopped, eventually falling to the ground in a deep sleep. Their food had been contaminated with some sort of sleeping drug; Pikachu didn't exactly know all of the details. He hadn't been affected as badly, as he hadn't eaten a lot by the time that all of this had happened. But he could still feel the effects of the sleeping drug starting to take effect. He struggled to stay awake; calling desperately to his trainer's sleeping form on the ground, though it was getting farther and farther away. He turned his head when he heard the laughs of his captors – two in their mid 20's and a white cat-like Pokémon known as a Meowth.

"We did it! We finally caught Pikachu!" The female, with long red hair known as Jessie chirped.

"After years of hard work we finally beat those stupid Twerps!" The blue haired man named James cheered. Pikachu clenched his teeth, emitting a small growl in his throat as he watched Team Rocket celebrating. But he wouldn't be able to watch them for long. His vision was already blurring, and his body felt heavy, while his head felt light, as though it would part from his body and float into the air like the balloon in which they rode. And by the time Pikachu had fallen unconscious, the Meowth balloon was already past the Sinnoh region and out to sea, preparing for a journey towards Kanto.

By the time Pikachu woke up, they were already over land once more. He guessed that they were over the Kanto region. That was it… Ash and the others really weren't coming for him. The realization that Team Rocket finally succeeded finally sunk in. It would be difficult, if not impossible to be reunited with Ash now. All of those other times... were they really all just luck? Pikachu was taken from his thoughts when someone spoke.

"Jessie, I don't like the look of those clouds!" James whimpered, as he looked at the large dark gray clouds looming over them. He was leaning out of the basket, one hand keeping himself steady, while the other on his forehead, peering out into the distance.

"Aw, quit bein' such a wus!" Meowth said, jumping up and smacking the man over the head.

"Meowth's right. We're only a couple of hours away from HQ. We have nothing to worry about." Jessie exclaimed, placing her hands on her hips. "We can't just go down now after all this time we waited to catch Pikachu!"

The rain soon came down, first as a few scattered drops, and quickly escalated into a downpour. Lightning and thunder pierced through the black skies, providing the only light for the three cold beings that were caught inside the storm. The four beings were rather nervous, looking at the skies as they navigated. Having spent a lot of time in storms, and even taking electrical hits by the Pokémon which they now held captive, Team Rocket knew that their precious balloon was a prime target for a lightning hit.

Team Rocket cringed with every flash of lightning that spread across the seemingly black skies and it came as no surprise to them when their luck eventually ran out. Lightning pierced through the balloon to make its way to the metal lining, thus igniting a fire from the lamp that they used to fly. Jessie grabbed Pikachu's electric-proof prison before James, Meowth and herself jumped out of the balloon. It had been a split second decision, and anyone would have normally been caught in the blast as the flying transportation blew up. But each member had gained an instinct for sensing when danger was coming, and sometimes were able to react in time. Their bodies had even become sort of accustomed to hard falls, and that along with the trees below them would hopefully be enough. The flashes of green were the only things that any of them saw before their worlds went dark.

James groaned and opened his sea-green eyes and looked around. He slowly sat up, and immediately regretted it, finding the pain of moving almost unbearable. He winced as he lifted his shirt to survey the damage that was inflicted on his body. There were large bruises all over his chest, most in the shape of the branches that he fell on during his fall. He looked up and saw that there was a clear path from where he fell, the destruction of the branches a clear sign.

His gaze turned to look for his companions, and saw all of them scattered within at least a few dozen metres of each other, and still unconscious. A glimpse of yellow caught his eye, and his body instinctively stiffened. But the rodent Pokémon was unconscious like Jessie and Meowth, and just as badly injured, of not more. Glass fragments were scattered all around him, and some pieces were lodged in his body. James frowned and scuttled towards the Pokémon as best that he could. He scooped him up in his arms and held him close to his body.

Chestnut eyes opened, and saw a large blurry figure just above him. "Pika pi?" Pikachu asked, hopeful of the response. But the blurriness faded, and the image of Ash that Pikachu had so desperately wished for vanished, and was replaced with the Team Rocket member James.

"Sorry if I'm not who you think I am." James said, quietly. His hand then dug in his pockets and pulled out a small kit of some kind. With one hand, he opened the small, flat pouch and pulled out a pair of tweezers. Pikachu stiffened and went on the defence. His cheeks sparked as he glared at the Rocket member, who became alert to the Pokémon's motives as well.

"Pika….chaaa…." The pain from his wounds was too great for him to perform any electrical attack. James placed his hands on the Pokémon's head to calm him down.

"We have to pull out the glass." He told Pikachu softly. Then he shook his head, not wanting Pikachu to think he was soft. "We can't have you all battered when we present you to the boss!" He carefully positioned his tweezers against the Pokémon's body and felt around for any sign of resistance. Naturally the glass would be stained with his blood and would be difficult to see. When he felt something shift through the tweezers and Pikachu's flinch, James immediately locked the tweezers on the resistance and began to pull. It was stuck, somewhat, and he had to move it around a little to dislodge it. James could tell that this caused discomfort and pain to the little Pokémon in his arms, but he knew that it was a necessary evil. The wounds would be infected otherwise.

When all of the pieces were taken out and set on the grass, Pikachu looked up at James with surprise. He had seen rare and spar attic acts of kindness on some level or another, but it was always a rare site. He looked down at the Pokémon, but quickly looked up as he saw movement from Meowth. The cat Pokémon smirked as he saw Pikachu.

"Well, Pikachu, buddy ol' pal. Ya' stuck wit' us!" Meowth said in a very smug voice. Pikachu's cheeks sparked in anger. But he knew that Meowth was right. If he didn't stick with Team Rocket until an opportune moment, then he would never be able to get back to Ash. He didn't even know where he was – how far away from a town, and what town in particular. Seeming satisfied that Pikachu was cooperating, Meowth moved over to the still unconscious Jessie. "Wake up!" He yelled, scratching her face.

Jessie yelled in surprise and pain. "WHAT DID YOU DO THAT FOR MEOWTH?!" She cried, taking out her pocket mirror to inspect the damage done on her face.

"Jessie… how are you feeling?" James asked, worriedly. "Nothing's broken?" Jessie raised her sapphire blue eyes to look at her companion, then down at her body. She had large bruises, and scrapes all over. Dried blood was over some of the more severe cuts, as well. She hadn't even paid attention to how her body had felt, as she had been so preoccupied with the pain on her face.

"Sore…" Jessie murmured, groaning as she stood up. "Where are we?" James shrugged.

"Some forest in Kanto." He said. "We should look around to see where we are exactly, and then walk in the direction of HQ." Meowth and Jessie nodded, and began to walk towards James, who in turn moved in the direction they were going.

Pikachu stayed in James' arms. Clearly if he was going to be stuck with Team Rocket of all people, he already chose a preference in James. He already knew that he and Meowth weren't compatible to be near each other – evidence shown in any time when one of the schemes that the trio brought up that involved them being stuck together. As for Jessie, she had quite a temper. It seemed most women did, such as Misty, or when Dawn and May had something to be angry about. Yet this woman was different, more hostile than any of his human female friends. James however, was more docile and had a softer, easier temperament.

They walked for what seemed like hours. The sun had already set, and it was becoming darker by the minute. But in the distance, a lamp light could be seen shining brightly through the dark of the forest. Taking it as a sign of people, Jessie, James and Meowth ran towards it. There was a clearing, and inside the clearing were two buildings. One was a small, cozy little cabin, possibly a two story. The other was a large warehouse-like barn.

James took the lamp light and shown the light high above his head. Now they could see the peculiar look of the barn. It resembled a Strip Mall in appearance, as there were many doors along the length of the peculiar barn. The rooms seemed to be separated both by different colour and by different types of wood. It was unusual, as normally a building would be made with one type of wood or brick.

"Let's take a look inside this pink one." Jessie murmured, as she opened the door to the pink section of the barn. They peeked inside, and then slowly walked in when they saw that nothing would come out at them. They couldn't help but gasp at the sight before them.

Inside were rows upon rows of nest-like beds, each of them filled with the sleeping creatures that they were built specifically for. Meowth's paws moved to his face and a gleeful expression could be seen. "They're Pokémon!"

"We hit the jackpot!" Jessie chirped, happily. "If we take all of these Pokémon to the Boss, we'll never have to worry about anything ever again! We'll finally be his number one trio!"

"Yes!" James said, gleefully. "Let's bag as many of them up as we can right now!" He apparently didn't notice that Pikachu was missing from his shoulder, nor that a bucket had somehow gotten in his path. He kicked the metal bucket, sending it bashing into a box of supplies, loudly crashing and waking up the Pokémon that were sleeping. Team Rocket flinched, unsure of what was going to happen to them. The Pokémon though, didn't move. There was something unusual about these Pokémon. They were rather round, and seemed to not have any energy.

"Ho ho!" Jessie laughed. "They must realize that it is futile to battle against the likes of Team Rocket! They're just waiting for us to grab them!" As soon as she said this, a figure appeared behind them.

"Gar!" The three turned around to see a Gardevoir standing in the door frame. The Gardevoir in question, however, was rather strange. Instead of the normal green, the Pokémon had a bluish colouration to it. Jessie, James and Meowth exchanged glances before smirks settled onto their faces.

"It's a Gardevoir!" Meowth said, happily. "And a rare one!"

"Grab it 'n bag it James!" Jessie said, as she pushed James towards the embrace Pokémon. He smirked, raising his hands up to get ready to attack. Pikachu growled, his cheeks sparked. He really didn't want to shock James after being so kind to him, but in order to protect the Gardevoir, he would have to. He didn't get the chance, though, as a figure ran past Gardevoir and towards Team Rocket.

"LEAVE THE MOTHERS ALONE!" A female voice cried. It was a girl no older than the Twerps that they had been following – 15-years-old. She had silver blonde hair, and pale skin. She was rather small and fragile-looking for her age. In her hands was a large broom, which she swung at them with. She ran towards the three thieves, but tripped over the bucket that James had previously had trouble with. She dropped the broom as she hit the ground.

James shown the light on the girl, who was feeling around for her stick. What he saw caused him to almost drop the lamp in shock and guilt. "You're… blind?"

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What did you think? Please tell me! I would really appreciate some reviews! Just a couple of seconds of your time!


	2. The Pokémon Breeder

It's been a long time since I wrote for this fanfic and for that I apologize. If I haven't already, I would like to thank Rocket Wolf, Aimee, dandy wondrous and especially Shade40 for reviews. Shade, your review was the best and most inspiring reviews I've ever received. It helped me to try and keep with this particular style of writing and to make this chapter hopefully as good. This is probably partly why it took so long to write, but I think that as long as you produce quality work, it shouldn't matter how long writing takes.

Chapter 2

Gardevoir gracefully swept passed Team Rocket, bending down to help the girl stand up. She gave a small smile, placing her hand affectionately on the cheek of the pokémon before glaring in the general direction of the trio. "Just who are you, and what are you doing in the Expecting Room?" She demanded. Despite her authoritative words her tone was rather soft, almost scared.

Out of habit, Jessie opened her mouth, the instinct to say their team motto was a strong one, though James cut her off before she could say anything. "We're just humble travellers who got caught in the storm. We saw the lamp light and sought shelter for the night. My name is James and my partner here is Jessie, and Meowth." It wouldn't be a smart idea for them to reveal themselves as pokémon thieves in a room full of pokémon with little to no room for escape. James was tired of making the same mistakes over and over again, so if need be, he would keep their pride in check until they got what they wanted out of this girl. She nodded, relaxing her stance.

Pikachu peeked out from behind the boxes of pokémon food and straw, glancing up at the two strangers that seemed to be the owner of the establishment. The gardevoir was a magnificent shade of dark blue, from what could be seem from the lamp light. The girl, supporting her weight on the hand of the gardevoir, was rather frail looking. She had pale, almost translucent skin and long platinum blonde hair that fell around her face and shoulders, down to the small of her back, making her look even more pale. Her eyes were a greenish-blue, clouded over by a milky white. He had never met anyone who was blind before, but he could guess that the discolouration of her eyes meant that she couldn't see.

"Hello, there. It's safe now, you can come out little one."

He stiffened when she turned her attention to him. He had barely made a sound or movement, yet she seemed to pinpoint exactly where he was. Bending down, the girl let her hands rest just above the floor, coaxing Pikachu to her. Slowly, cautiously, the yellow rodent went closer to her, sniffing at her hands as though to see if she was truly as friendly as she seemed. She smelled of sunshine, grass and wildflowers. He figured she spent a good portion of the day outside. She also smelled of pokémon eggs. There was nothing to suggest to him that she would hurt him, and even gave off a calm, friendly aura.

Pikachu smiled and leaped into the young woman's arms, snuggling into her chest as she held him firmly. Finally, he found a friend. "Are you with them?" He shook his head, suddenly a little afraid that she might give him back to Jessie or James. His muscles were tense, making the glass cuts ache a little.

The girl smiled softly as she turned her head down at the pikachu, her fingers caressing the fur on his back. Pikachu flinched if her fingers hit one of the cuts. She turned to look at Gardevoir.

"Gardevoir can you please give me a Heal Pulse?" Gardevoir responded by holding his arms in front of his chest, a pink ball forming between his hands. He opened his arms, letting it go, the ball turning into a multi-pulsed wave of calming energy that radiated to the two pokémon and three humans. Instantly, Pikachu could feel less pain, the wounds closing themselves and even some of his fur growing back. From the looks of how calm Jessie and James were, and stretching their arms and backs the move was working on them, too.

"Please, follow me. You will be my guests for tonight. We wouldn't want you to catch a cold with the approaching storm." The girl accepted James' fib. Pikachu frowned at Team Rocket, but other than that didn't have the energy to start anything. It was the middle of the night, he was exhausted, and at least for now, he seemed to be in safe hands. He would worry about what he could do to return to Ash tomorrow with a fresh, rested mind.

Team Rocket followed the girl, who was followed very closely by Gardevoir. Pikachu watched the pokémon curiously. He was diligently following at the girl's side, eyes constantly switching from approaching objects to mounds or potholes in the ground, collecting rain water. He would give the girl light tap on her arm if it seemed like she was going to injure herself and she would avoid it accordingly. Their touches ceased for the most part when they moved onto the grass, Gardevoir using psychic to move any toys that might have been in the way.

"It's quite rare to see a gardevoir in these parts. Usually you only see them in Hoenn." James noted, eyeing the psychic pokémon with interest, his finger and thumb stroking the sides of his chin. Pikachu frowned at him, practically able to see the money signs in the eyes of the blue haired man.

"Oh, have you been to Hoenn? I've always wanted to travel. But my parents were always adamant about staying home. I inherited this breeding ranch from my grandparents. They were retiring and needed someone to look after all of the pokémon. That... and it was the year I turned ten. They didn't want me running off to be a pokémon trainer like my cousins. They figured this was the next best thing..." Excitement filled her voice when James brought up the possibility of the thought of going somewhere. Pikachu's ears flicked erect when her tone changed to something more solemn. Even though he was barely able to keep his eyes open he looked up at her. Despite the tone of her voice, she was still smiling.

Gardevoir opened the door a few mere steps prior to reaching the small house, the door closing again once all members were inside. The interior was rather plain looking. There were no fancy furniture decorating the hallways and the wallpaper was drab and outdated, even peeling in some areas. The only pictures on the walls were that of an elderly couple that could only be the girl's grandparents and the pokemon they bred. A few of the pictures were of a younger version of the girl along with two slightly older children, a boy and a girl, both sporting the same platinum blonde hair. Once or twice Pikachu spotted a third child, a boy with messy brown hair. Pikachu thought he recognized the blond boy, but the connection escaped him.

The hallway led to a small group of doors on either side, a large entrance facing one another leading to the kitchen and living room, respectively and ended at the front of the house, which expanded into what Pikachu could see was possibly the only maintained area of the house. From what he could make out in the dim light and beyond the ajar door, the room was more brightly coloured, had a counter and a cash register. A shelf filled with different kinds of pokemon food also came into view for a split second, reminding the pokemon of it's now empty stomach.

The pokémon breeder led Jessie and James past a flight of stairs to a room which Gardevoir opened for them. "You can stay here for the night. I'm sorry that I only have one available room right now. I try to keep at least one clear in the off chance I have guests. If you wish, I can see if I can find a basket for your meowth."

Meowth opened his mouth to say something, but Jessie bonked the cat pokemon hard on the head. "Thank you for your hospitality, um..."

"Oh! I'm terribly sorry, I forgot to introduce myself, haven't I? My name is Cissy Relendra." She moved aside for Jessie and James to enter the room. "Well, I'll be back with that basket in a few minutes."

Pikachu hopped out of Cissy's arms and onto the girl's shoulders, looking back at the duo, ears perked forward to catch what they might say when the girl was out of hearing range.

"That girl is almost sickeningly sweet." Jessie muttered to James, the squeak of the bed indicating that one of them sat down. "I don't want to stay here longer than we need to. At least we know this place is here now. We can always come back and steal the pokemon when we have a new machine."

"We don't have the money for something big and flashy. We were fired from our last job a week early, remember?"

"Yes, I know that!" She said, her voice starting to get snappy. "Maybe... Maybe we can see if we can work here for a while. Until we get the money to buy it then we're gone with the pokémon. Places like this are a gold mine, we can't just pass it up."

"We'll ask her tomorrow then. What about Pikachu?"

"He'll be nabbed with that gardevoir of hers. A rare beauty like that and Pikachu will make great gifts to the boss. She has no pokémon of her own and she's blind and helpless. It will be like stealing candy from a baby." Jessie giggled at the thought.

"I don't know, Jessie. It seems kind of mean, even for us."

"Pipe down, you! It'll make sense to yeh in the mornin'." Meowth said.

Any other conversation they might have had was drowned out by distance and walls as Cissy finally moved away far enough in her pursuit of a basket. Gardevoir spotted one and floated it and a cushion over to Cissy, holding it in the air in front of her. Her hand bumped the basket when she tried to reach for something, grasping it firmly after a few fumbles. The cushion lay to rest inside of it shortly after.

"Thank you." With the basket in hand she returned to the bedroom, placing the basket on the floor against the wall and well away from the door. "If you need anything, my room is upstairs."

Cissy returned to the hallway and stopped at the steep stairs, holding the rail delicately as she walked up the steps. She seemed to be trying to make as little movement as possible. Pikachu figured it was maybe because he was balancing on her shoulder. She might not have been used to such a thing. She couldn't know that he stayed on his trainer's shoulder all the time.

"Is there any place you would like to sleep tonight, Pikachu?" She held her hands out, expecting him to jump down. He obeyed, landing softly in her embrace. Her fingers once again searched his body, this time tracing up the crooks of his tail to the point. "Ah, you're a boy."

"Pi. Pika." Pikachu nodded. He stayed in place though, watching intently as they reached the top of the stairs. There didn't seem to be much on the second floor. There was the bathroom to the right with a closet adjacent to it on the wall. There was also yet another room that was closed, and finally the master bedroom, which seemed to be where they were headed.

There was a surprisingly large bed on the other end of the room, though upon closer inspection it was actually two beds, one a queen sized, and the other a twin, both pushed beside each other. The dressers and night stands had little to nothing on them other than a layer of dust and the occasional photograph. There was no lamp, however there was a bookshelf filled with many novel-sized books. Pikachu recognized letters, but there were none on any of the spines; just series of bumps.

"You can sleep with Gardevoir and I for tonight. Tomorrow after we deal with our guests, I can send you back to the forest. You can find your colony there." Pikachu shook his head again. She placed the electric rodent on her bed while she went to get dressed into a nightgown.

"Pi-pika pi pikachu ka-pi chu Pikapi pika!" Gardevoir touched Cissy's arm lightly.

"I see. So you have a trainer. Well, then I can phone the nearest pokémon center and if they are nearby, they'll know where to find you." Pikachu nodded slowly. He knew Ash was nowhere near Kanto let alone this establishment. But he still had Brock and Misty if he could find a way to get to one of them. He could find out exactly where in Kanto he was tomorrow and see about it then. Until that time, he would have to keep an eye on Team Rocket.

Cissy had already gotten changed and crawled into her bed. She lay scooted until she was close to the smaller bed, which Gardevoir occupied. Pikachu hopped over the girl's thin form and curled around her stomach. She wasn't Ash. But she was someone who needed to be protected, and likewise along with Gardevoir could also protect him. He wouldn't mind this temporary arrangement. It wasn't long until sleep finally took him, wrapping him in the soft covers.


End file.
